The Next
by thedreamsingray
Summary: In the end, there is no end. Yet somehow, their new beginning is off to a rough start. But, seeing as it's the two of them, was it really that surprising? Sequel to The Now. Raven/Slade.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**a/n: Well, let's give this a go. I wasn't sure I wanted to write a sequel to _The Now_, because I felt as though it had ended on such a good note, but I'm willing to give this a try. Raven and Slade are different characters, now, but at the core I believe them to be the same. It's going to be a hell of a lot harder to write, though.**

**Still, it's a lighter piece and I love the two of them. I think it will be interesting to see both Raven and Slade in these new, family roles, even when conflict emerges. The Titans themselves will be coming back as well, so yay for continuity!**

**Also, I just want to note that, in terms of this sequel, the alternate ending does not apply. Just the original/epilogue are here.**

**P.S. I think I made Slade a little sappy towards the end of the piece (and BTW, I am not one for sappy. Anything by Bruno Mars is like a direct slap to the libido). But seriously, I've known some grown-ass men who've gotten into relationships/had children that made them completely different. He'll be more Slade-ish in upcoming chapters.**

**Reviews, sharing, etc. are always appreciated. Please, dear God, don't let me screw this up.**

_"People aren't supposed to look back. I'm certainly not going to do it anymore."_

_– Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five_

_Raven: I guess, in the end, there really is no end. Just...new beginnings._

_- The End, Part III_

_Chapter One: The Year_

It was a nice day in Jump City. Not a particularly beautiful day, nor was it a terrible, gloomy one. No, it was simply a neutral day, with a slightly more pleasant edge. Nice enough to bring out families to parks, but not nice enough to bring a picnic; nice enough for people to put on bathing suits and lounge by the pool, but not nice enough to get in the water. All in all, the day made the residents of Jump City content.

However, at the moment, Raven and Slade Wilson did not care about the nice-ness of the day.

"What do you _mean,_ Teether ate through the car bumper?!"

"Raven, I was speaking with Melvin's coach about when the next game was, and by the time I turned back, he'd already done it."

"How are you not upset about this?!"

"Because, my dear, our son has survived through much worse. _And_ we have the means to get the car fixed."

Raven glared at her husband. "Teether is almost two. You can't let him do that!"

Slade glared at his wife. "You think I _let_ him?"

"Maybe you should have been paying closer attention."

"As I've stated before, I was _preoccupied._"

The two narrowed their eyes at one another. Silence filled the Wilson home. Above their heads, a chandelier swung and tinkled lightly, no doubt a reaction from Raven's powers.

_Yikes,_ Lazy sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. _Negligence isn't usually Slade's thing._

_He wasn't negligent, _an indignant Passion defended her favorite person on the planet. _He was busy!_

_"He was negligent,"_ Raven fumed internally, agreeing with Lazy. But a part of her softened at Passion's words.

Slade towered over Raven, breathing heavily. His one good eye was full of annoyance - the other was, well, covered by a black leather patch. But Raven had the impression that if Slade's other eye was full and well, it would be mad at her too.

Sighing, Raven empathized with the man before her. He was a good man, one who cared for his family. He had been talking to Melvin's coach (who, by the way, was a thirty-year old woman with an enormous crush on him, and never failed to make any interaction uncomfortable and drawn-out). He'd been distracted. He hadn't meant for their son to eat away at the Jeep's bumper.

Raven was in the wrong. Slade was in the right.

_That's right,_ huffed Passion. _Now, let's have my favorite kind of intercourse._

Makeup sex _did_ sound appealing. And Raven was starting to feel a twinge of guilt for being so irrational. Once, not too long ago, Raven had immense control over her emotions. Back when she was a Titan, her powers _depended_ on keeping them under control.

Now, after having (well, adopting) children and getting married, Raven often found her emotions getting the better of her. They say kids change you, but Raven's entire _life_ had changed only a year ago. To say this change had done quite the number on her was an understatement: Raven hardly slept, was constantly on the run, and bickered often with her tall, broad-shouldered, formerly villainous husband.

Yet, even now, she wouldn't trade it for anything.

So Raven took a breath, squared her shoulders, looked up at the love of her life and said, "I'm - "

But she didn't get to finish, because Slade was kissing her and lifting her up, and all Raven could do was wind her legs around his waist and kiss back.

"I'm..." she tried again when he moved his mouth down her neck. Surprisingly, Slade stopped his caresses to glare at her once more.

"My dear," he drawled in that velvety, baritone voice, and cocked his head to the left. "We can finish this discussion _now_ or _later._ Which would you prefer?"

_Later!_ Passion screamed._ Much, much, later! Raven, don't you dare do something stupid, or so God help me, I will take over your body and tell the kids why you had to get the sofa dry-cleaned! And why you had to get a new dining room table! And all the dark, demented things you guys did in Timmy's room!  
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_"You suggested them!"_ Raven replied incredulously.

_Yeah, but I didn't expect you to actually follow through!_ Passion's eyes bugged beneath her purple hood. _That was the best and worst day of my whole life. What an interesting way to find out you're allergic to latex, Raven._

But Raven knew Passion would have no reason to tell her children any of those things. Slade was already toting her upstairs, and a delicious anticipation was building in Raven's stomach.

Suddenly, he stopped before entering their bedroom, and looked at his wife expectantly.

"Later?" Slade smirked in a very wicked, Slade-ish way.

Deciding to throw composure out the window, Raven nodded her head furiously.

Slade was just about to open the door when an abrupt thought crossed Raven's mind. "Where's Teether?"

Slade gave her an exasperated look. "My dear, you only make the same mistake once. He's in his room, peacefully asleep and digesting the back of our car."

Raven didn't have enough time to decide whether or not that comment was reassuring, for they had already entered their bedroom, and all sort of coherent thinking became quite impossible from there on out.

.

As a former Teen Titan turned wife and mother, Raven thought living in the city ran a huge risk. People might notice her, after all, and report her appearance to the Titans. Even now, a year later, they were still searching for her. There were no billboards, no "lost" signs, no desperate pleas on television, yet Raven could sense the tension in the air - a Titan, gone.

What to do, what to do.

Thank God she'd worn that hood in public. Most people didn't know what Raven looked like, anyway, and if she ever felt she was heading into suspicious territory, she'd go by 'Rachel' instead. Her hair was longer, she wore makeup, and she was simply different. For the most part, she was safe.

But Raven missed them. The Titans had been everything to her, yet she'd chosen to follow love over her family. It was like the plot of some painful, made-for-television drama. _Oh, Ricardo, I must leave my life behind for you! Your mother would never accept me!_

Or, in Raven's case: _Oh, Slade, my former enemy, I must leave the only family I've ever known behind for you! My team would never forgive me!_

There wasn't much of a difference, really. Half the time, Raven _felt_ as though her life was a soap opera; she and Slade certainly got enough flack from the general public to _be_ in one. A week wasn't complete without a department store owner demanding Raven if she needed to call the police because of the big, older, one-eyed man harassing her, or Slade being called a 'sugar daddy' while they were at the supermarket. The worst times were when people mistook Raven to be Slade's _daughter_, to which, more often than not, Slade would calmly shove Raven's four-carat diamond into their faces and demand whether or not they still thought she was his offspring.

Even after he'd retired the two-toned mask for good, Slade was still Slade. What could you do?

Raven had always believed in the best of people. When she was a Titan, that's what she thought she was protecting: the capacity of goodness in human life.

Now, she realized that humanity was, more often than not, a heartless bitch. How different life was outside the Tower, when she only had to deal with the company of four other people.

However, she had four new people to keep her company.

Melvin, her eldest, an aspiring actress/professional soccer player/toymaker/princess/pink Power Ranger. Bobby still hung around, and followed her everywhere. Others would often stare at her when she spoke to Bobby in public, then turn quizzical eyes to Raven, for Melvin was starting to get a bit old for imaginary friends. But Raven knew better, and if she caught someone staring, she would speak to Bobby too.

Timmy, her first boy, threw far less tantrums upon joining their family. He all but worshipped his adopted father, and Slade considered the kid to be his prodigy ("_Not_ apprentice!" Raven would remind her husband every once in a while, just to be sure). He was learning fast that his powers were best kept under wraps, and with the guidance of his parents, was turning out to be a relatively calm little boy.

Teether, her youngest, was growing every day. Raven still had trouble getting him to _not _chew through everything in his sight, but hey, it was all a learning process. Slade thought it was hilarious when one of Raven's shoes went missing, or when Melvin's dolls had parts bitten off. "That's my boy," he'd always chuckle; privately, Raven always wondered if the correlation Slade saw between the two of them was the tendency to destroy things.

And last, but certainly not least, Slade. Once her hated enemy, now turned (fairly) good for the sake of love, Raven still had a hard time wrapping her head around their marriage. It was a nightmare and a fantasy all rolled into one, and she loved him with a passion she herself scarcely understood. Their destinies had wound themselves into one another, far back to when they'd destroyed the world together, and now were nothing more than a couple in the city, trying to raise their family.

If there was a God, Raven would bet everything she owned that He thought this was hilarious.

She most certainly did.

.

Apparently, Slade had money - and lots of it. Raven wasn't particularly surprised, nor was she particularly eager to learn where it came from. Ever the heroine, whenever Slade suggested just how he'd generated said income, Raven would shake her head and fall silent. Denial was her specialty, after all.

With the bayside mansion and finances set, it meant neither of them had to take a job.

"Should we?" asked Raven one day. "I mean - "

"My dear," Slade had cut her off. "I am forewarning you as of now that I will _never_ be the man who takes a job behind a desk. If you are worried about our personal revenue, I suggest you take another look at our bank statement _without_ cringing. And, if you are still insistent upon expanding the account, I can promise with absolute conviction that you will _not_ like any field I have any chance of staying in."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You said 'forewarning'."

Slade's face, already approaching fifty-something, grew stiff. "Let's just say I have experience in the matter. I've learned my lesson. I don't intend to repeat the same mistakes." (Raven suspected this was during the era of 'The Other Woman', a.k.a his first wife, a.k.a 'The Woman Whom Passion Hated With a Vengeance')

She didn't press him after that.

_I don't know about you, Raven, _remarked Passion after that conversation, _but could we take another look at that bank statement?_

_"Um," _Raven was wary. _"Why?"_

_Financial security is a very primal turn-on for most women._ Passion shrugged amicably._ I am simply providing you another bullet point on our list._

_"List?"_

_Of all the reasons Slade is perfection in a single body. Happy and I have entitled it, 'Thank God I Caught Him'._

Normally, Raven would have argued with whatever silly antics that went on with her emotions, but that was one she couldn't deny. Thank God she _had_ caught him. The circumstances had been so against them, so impossibly uncertain, yet they had made it through.

Curious, but doing her best to seem uninterested, Raven coughed, _"What's on the list?"_

_Never thought you'd ask, _Passion smirked, unfurling a large scroll. How the hell they'd gotten paper in the Nevermore, Raven would never know.

_One, he is sexy._

Immediately, Raven scowled. _"That's the best you could come up with?"_

_Hold on, hold on! _Passion ducked into the paper once more. _Two, he is an amazing father._

Okay. She agreed with that one wholeheartedly.

_Three, he is rich as hell. Four, he's got facial hair. Five, he loves the crap out of you. Six, he is sexy. Seven, he has a stellar piece of equipment, if you know what I mean - _

_"You said 'sexy' twice," _Raven interrupted, heat flaming her cheeks. _"It doesn't count."_

Passion looked annoyed. _Raven, you can't say it enough! 'Sexy' is on this list at least fifteen times.__  
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_Raven, _Intelligence groaned. _Please make Passion shut up._

Passion's expression was indignant. _Excuse you, bitch. Who was the one who pushed Raven to snag this fine piece of ass? That's right. Me. Raven is having sex three-to-five times a week because of _me._ Raven is happy because of me. So put a sock in it, you analytical hoe._

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose. _"Right now, I want _all_ of you to be quiet."_

_You got it, boss._ Passion saluted. _Call me when the husband gets back._

Raven muttered something unintelligible and went to go check the bank statement. Sometimes she wondered if Passion loved Slade more than Raven herself did.

Passion was right about a few things, though.

One, 'number five' on the list was the most wonderful thing she'd heard all day.

Two, Raven found that financial stability _was _a bit of a turn-on.

Raven refused to comment on 'number seven', but the thought made her flush and cross her legs anyway.

.

Not too long ago, Raven had wondered, _what now?_ _What now_ for herself? _What now_ for her team? _What now, what now, what now?_

She'd found her answer in the form of a masked man she'd once hated and three children she'd come to adore.

Still, she longed for her friends, her former family. Raven had left the nest, but that didn't mean she didn't miss it.

Robin, in all his bravado and righteousness and justice.

Starfire, and all her light and happiness and beauty.

Cyborg, with his kindness and strength and stability.

Beast Boy. (She really didn't have much to comment on that one.)

The people she loved, oh so dearly. Sometimes, when Slade was asleep, Raven would levitate to the roof and simply stare at the Tower. It was so strange now, to be on the outside looking in. She hoped they were happy. She hoped they didn't miss her too much.

Slade found her, once, just as the sun was beginning to rise.

She didn't have to say anything. He sat down with her, dressed in black and grey, silver hair tousled.

"Feeling nostalgic?"

Raven nodded, keeping her gaze on the Tower. A few seconds ticked by.

Then,

"I understand."

She turned towards him, and his features were pensive.

"Do you miss your old life?" Raven murmured softly. "Do you miss your ex-wife?"

Slade blinked his good eye, once.

"Occasionally," he admitted, looking out at the bay. Trying not to be hurt - she couldn't be a hypocrite - Raven squared her jaw and began tracing a concrete tile.

"Do you miss them?" Slade's mouth was bent. "The Titans?"

Raven met his gaze.

"Occasionally."

He chuckled, barely letting out a breath. "Raven, what are you worried about?"

Salty breezes fluffed her hair. It was longer, now, than it had been before - slightly past her shoulders.

"I'm - I'm not sure."

Halfheartedly, she cracked a smile. "Sometimes I worry she'll come storming in here, begging for you back."

Slade snorted. "Raven, that's not going to happen. And even if it was possible, I would always pick you."

It was Raven's turn to blink. Slade rolled his eyes, knowing he'd have to explain.

"My service to Trigon has throughly convinced me that Hell does exist. And with the life I've led, it's certainly where _I'll _be going."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Slade simply yanked her closer.

"I've always wondered," he went on, picking something out of her hair, "what happens to people if they go to the same place. If a man married twice in his life, because the first one died. What happens when they see each other, once more in death, even after he has loved someone else?"

Quite frankly, Raven was bewildered by this philosophical version of her husband. "Slade, if you're worried about the afterlife, don't. Believe me, _I'm_ going to Hell too."

Slade smirked. "Not to be rude, my dear, but I disagree. You were a Titan, once. All of you brats are going up."

Raven made a face. "No afterlife with Beast Boy could be considered paradise. I'd rather go with you to eternal damnation."

"I'm touched, really, by your sacrifice."

But Slade wound his arms around her, keeping Raven warm from the seaside chill. Pink and orange were in soft, cloudy brushstrokes across the sky.

"What I'm saying," he said, tightening his grip, "is if, by some cosmic joke, we all found ourselves in the same place, I would pick you."

Blush, hot and hard and fast, erupted across her cheeks. "Feeling romantic today?"

"No," Slade hissed, his lips right by her ear, "I'm always honest, my dear. In all the time you've known me, have I ever told a lie?"

"You've tricked my team."

"That was for Robin. It wasn't personal."

Both villain and hero said nothing else, and Raven was pleasantly reminded once more that the choice she had made was the right one.


End file.
